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Sunday, June 26, 2016

Mykonos and Delos

The island of Delos , near Mykonos, near the centre of the
Cyclades archipelago, is one of the most important mythological, historical and
archaeological sites in Greece. The excavations in the island are among the
most extensive in the Mediterranean; ongoing work takes place under the
direction of the French School at Athens and many of the artifacts found are on
display at the Archaeological Museum of Delos and the National Archaeological
Museum of Athens.

Delos had a position as a holy sanctuary for a millennium
before Olympian Greek mythology made it the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis.
From its Sacred Harbour, the horizon shows the two conical mounds (image below)
that have identified landscapes sacred to a goddess in other sites: one,
retaining its pre-Greek name Mount Kynthos, is crowned with a sanctuary of
Zeus.

Established as a culture center, Delos had an importance
that its natural resources could never have offered. In this vein Leto,
searching for a birthing-place for Artemis and Apollo, addressed the island:

Mykonos is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades,
lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of 85.5
square kilometres (33.0 sq mi) and rises to an elevation of 341 metres (1,119
feet) at its highest point. There are 10,134 inhabitants (2011 census) most of
whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, which lies on the west coast. The town
is also known as Chora (i.e. the Town in Greek, following the common practice
in Greece when the name of the island itself is the same as the name of the
principal town).

Mykonos' nickname is The island of the winds.[citation
needed] Tourism is a major industry.